– Dr. Siriporn Lalitanantpong –
Dr. Siriporn Lalitanantpong, or “Dr. Nai,” is a cheerful doctor at the Medical Diagnostic Imaging Centre at BNH Hospital. She’s a veteran in diagnostic radiology, having been in the industry since it was still in its infancy in Thailand. While her life at the hospital is dedicated to reading images for diagnoses, her life outside of work is filled with a variety of hobbies that create a balance to her medical duties. She’s a doctor who rarely meets her patients, yet one was so impressed with her that she gave her a hug.
A Northern Girl in the Library
Dr. Nai is a woman from Nan, a northern province of Thailand. More than 40 years ago, the city was peaceful and quiet, with very few cars. In the mornings, young Nai would ride her bicycle to school, and in the evenings, she would ride it to a friend’s house. But the mountains outside the city, now a popular tourist destination, were at that time a hideout for a terrorist group. Locals didn’t have many places to go on the weekends. Nai was no different. On her days off, she would often ride her bicycle to the public library and spend the whole day there with her novels.
She can’t pinpoint a single moment that inspired her to become a doctor.
“I’m afraid of blood and needles. In fact, I didn’t want to be a doctor at first; I wanted to be a kindergarten teacher.”
Nai loved the innocence of young children. When she encountered the impressive teaching of her primary school teachers, she dreamed of becoming a kindergarten teacher herself.
But because she loved reading and was a diligent student from a young age, Nai’s grades were always at the top of her class. At that time, it was a common belief that good students should become doctors. It happened to coincide with Srinakharinwirot University opening its first medical school cohort, offering quotas to excellent students from each region. Nai passed the exam and became one of the seven students from the northern region to join the first class of medical students.
“It was the first cohort in 1985; there were no senior students. They had the Faculty of Science help with our orientation. There were 40 of us in the medical cohort, and we all stayed in the same dorm, so we were very close. We studied on Sukhumvit 23, and there was nothing there back then. In our third year, we moved to Vajira Hospital. We were the first medical students to be there. The professors were excited to have students to teach for the first time.”
Life in Bangkok, which was completely different from her hometown of Nan, wasn’t a problem for Nai. Perhaps it was because most of her friends were scholarship students from all over the country. She felt she fit in well with the new society, living in the same dorm, walking to classes together, and helping each other adjust.
“The challenging part was the studies. It was exhausting. We had exams every other week. Even though I thought I was a diligent student, studying medicine was really, really tough. But because I couldn’t handle the sight of blood and was afraid to make decisions, when it was time to learn, they taught us little by little to become leaders. It was a gradual climb.”
A Pioneering Radiologist
After graduating from medical school, Dr. Nai completed her rural service at a hospital in Prachinburi province. It was a rather large hospital, and many patients trusted the doctors there and came directly, without going through a community hospital first. Her workload was immense. In that one year, Dr. Nai did everything imaginable, from patient care and surgery to autopsies and even serving as a witness in court for an autopsy case.
Throughout her year of rural service, Dr. Nai had to run around the hospital constantly, which led her to look for a speciality that was the exact opposite. She chose to specialise in diagnostic radiology.
“Radiologists were a scarce speciality back then, and diagnostic exams, like CT scans, weren’t as fast as they are today. One patient would take almost an hour for the images to come out. If you had about 10 cases a night, you would be working until the morning. After finishing my specialisation in diagnostic radiology, I pursued a subspecialty in neuroradiology because the head of the department invited me to. He was working on a research project on neurological patients. During the project, I rotated through CT scans, MRIs, and diagnostic vascular examinations.”
Radiologists in the old days also had to know how to use a typewriter, because in diagnostic reports, handwriting had a chance of being illegible to others.
“I used that clackety-clack typewriter first, then it became an electric typewriter, and then a computer.”
After completing her subspecialty, Dr. Nai worked at Chulalongkorn Hospital for another eight years, where her neuroradiology speciality mainly focused on using MRI machines. At that time, the technology was very new and was only available in medical schools and large hospitals. Dr. Nai was therefore one of the first doctors to diagnose patients with an MRI machine.
While at Chulalongkorn Hospital, she also worked part-time at BNH Hospital before eventually moving there full-time.
“I’ve been here for almost 20 years now. It feels like my second home. We have a great relationship, and everyone is friendly. It makes work both convenient and comfortable because if I have any questions, I can talk to them. The doctors in my department also help each other and can consult with each other. I see it as a family.”
Diagnostic radiologists are very important for providing Complete Care, the comprehensive, integrated care that is the policy of BNH Hospital. In one image, Dr. Nai won’t just look at the problematic organ that the primary doctor sent to her because, sometimes, the real problem might come from another part of the body.
“When a patient comes to us, we have to try to find as many answers as possible to aid in the diagnosis. We have to have broad knowledge because sometimes, patients come to us at the very beginning. They might just be here for a health check-up with no symptoms yet, or they have symptoms. We have to see what direction to go in. If they have a stomach ache, what could it turn into? We are the ones who give the initial answers.”
Radiologists might only have a short time to talk to a patient—about 10-20 minutes during an ultrasound. It is normal for patients to feel anxious. During that time, Dr. Nai, whose husband is a psychiatrist and who understands how to talk to patients to make them feel more comfortable, also tries to take care of their mental state.
“There was one case where the patient had cancer. I talked to him and told him to try to relax. If we get stressed and anxious beforehand, that stress can make the disease more severe. After the ultrasound was finished, he came and gave me a hug and told me that I was the only doctor who gave him encouragement.”
A Novelist's Heart
Reading led to good grades, and good grades led to a good future. Dr. Nai’s career as a doctor began with her love of reading as a child.
“When I was a kid, I loved to read. I would read anything, even the newspaper wrapping from a bag of fried bananas.”
As she got older, young Nai gained access to magazines like Satri San and Sakul Thai. As her reading skills improved, she moved on to novels. From primary school, she would borrow books from the public library.
“The first story I read was Pla Bu Thong. I would read while eating, or while doing anything. My father even told me he was afraid I would be ruined because I wasn’t reading my textbooks. Sometimes, he would threaten to burn my books. The adults might not have known that a child who loves reading novels also reads her textbooks.”
From the legendary classic Thai writers to the modern ones, Dr. Nai has read them all. She even said that she used to buy so many books that she had to stop because she had no more space for them. Now, she reads on a Kindle instead.
“I used to buy e-books to read on my iPad, and it would hurt my eyes a lot. So my son bought me a Kindle. Reading on it is good; it doesn’t hurt my eyes.”
Crafts, A Microphone, and a Green Thumb
As a child, Dr. Nai was good at domestic science classes. Later, when medical school became stressful and demanding, she revisited the art of crochet, which she had learned as a child, to help relieve her stress. She bought books for patterns, and today, she watches YouTube videos and follows along, making garlands and flowers from yarn.
“I love crafts. I do everything except painting, because I’m not good at it. When I was at Chula Hospital, I took a Japanese clay sculpting class. I saw the work on display and thought it was so beautiful. I even sculpted orchids to put in the doctors’ lounge.”
The doctor also used to love cross-stitching. She once stitched pillowcases and tablecloths, but she had to stop due to eye strain.
Another way Dr. Nai relieves stress is by grabbing a microphone and singing.
“When I was a kid, we had a singing class, and the teacher complimented my voice, so I went along with it ever since.”
From childhood to adulthood, Dr. Nai has often taken to the stage to sing at school, faculty, and hospital events. She is skilled at singing Luk Thung and Luk Krung songs, which she grew up with. On her days off, the doctor and her husband sing karaoke at home to unwind.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Nai has also discovered a new hobby: growing plants.
“I started with orchids, then cacti, then roses. My husband even said that the house was going to turn into a desert because of all my cacti. But this is my happiness—making life simple and not thinking too much.”
“I want the diagnostic information I provide to be useful for the primary doctor’s treatment. From a point where they are still uncertain about the diagnosis and how to treat it, they can get information from me and move forward. And if they want me to help with something or perform additional tests, I try to do my best to meet their needs.”
She may not meet with patients often, but Dr. Nai is a small yet very important part of making sure the treatment is on the right track and paving the way for a patient’s good quality of life.
Siriporn Lalitanantpong, M.D.
Diagnostic Imaging Centre
Specialty
General Radiology
Language
Thai, English
– Diplomate, Thai Board of General Radiology, 1995
– Clinical Fellowship in Neuroradiology, Chulalongkorn University, 1997
– Residency Training in General Radiology, Chulalongkorn University, 1995
– MD. Srinakharinwirot University, 1991
Doctor’s Schedule
| Day | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | 07:30 – 15:00 | Diagnostic Imaging Centre |
| Tuesday | 07:30 – 16:00 | Diagnostic Imaging Centre |
| Wednesday | 07:30 – 17:00 | Diagnostic Imaging Centre |
| Friday | 08:00 – 19:00 | Diagnostic Imaging Centre |
| Sunday | 07:30 – 13:00 | Diagnostic Imaging Centre |